By Scott Roberts; photos by Sue Volkert Growing up gracefully in rock and roll is not always easy, but singer-songwriter Lloyd Cole has figured it out quite nicely. The once asymmetrically-coiffed, raven-haired leader of Glasgow’s The Commotions is now a 50-year-old based in Massachusetts and his accountant’s haircut now sports graying temples; his clothing looks […]
The Head Hang On Self-Released By Al Kaufman At a time when great musicianship is conveyed by showing up at an award ceremony in an egg, or by wearing a meat dress, Atlanta’s power-pop trio, The Head, have something to prove. They are showing the three nice guys (twin brothers Jack and Mike Shaw, and […]
Ben Sollee Inclusions Tin Ear/Thirty Tigers By Al Kaufman Ben Sollee is a classically trained cellist. Wait, keep reading. He is also a man with strong pop sensibilities and a heart throb voice. It’s a voice full of yearning and longing, but sensitive enough to say he only wants to cuddle. Women’s hearts have fluttered […]
By Jenna Hughes Full gallery after the jump
By Matthew Smith (www.shadowboxerphoto.com) Full gallery after the jump
By Hillery Terenzi Full gallery after the jump
The Book of Knots Garden of Fainting Stars Ipecac Recordings By Ellen Eldridge The Book of Knots begins with the birth of “7-pounds 11 ounces of sin” in “Microgravity” and, after posing the question, “Will they survive this microgravity?,” the band embarks on its third concept album; this one dedicated to the absence of expected […]
Sebadoh Bakesale: Deluxe Version Sub Pop By Ellen Eldridge If anything reminds of the late summer of 1994, a naked baby digging in a toilet does the trick. Sebadoh graces its audience with a nostalgic reminder of its fifth and best-selling album from the season when millions of jaded fans mourned Kurt Cobain’s suicide.
The Rosebuds Loud Planes Fly Low Merge By Al Kaufman Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp used to be a happily married couple that put out albums like The Rosebuds Make Out. Then they got divorced. But, like other couples going through turmoil (Richard and Linda Thompson, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox of Eurythmics, all of […]
Black Lips Arabia Mountain Vice Music By Al Kaufman Every artist has that moment when they wish to be taken seriously. They make that attempt to branch out and not get pigeon-holed. The Jim Carreys and Will Ferrells of the world perform dramatic roles. The U2s release messes like Zooropa. In 2009, Atlanta’s Black Lips […]
Elbow Build a Rocket Boys! Polydor By Eileen Tilson In the fourth land discovered in the famous Gulliver’s Travels, the Houyhnhnms (horses) are the rulers of the land, and are also the keepers of the savage Yahoos (humans). In their language “Houyhnhnms” means “the perfection of nature.” Houyhnhnms value reason beyond all else. They are […]
By Hillery Terenzi Full gallery after the jump.
By Ken Lackner Full gallery after the jump.
Death Cab for Cutie Codes and Keys Atlantic By Al Kaufman Thanks to iTunes and other sites, the concept of the album is all but gone. Bands still release CDs, but they are just afterthoughts. They put their “reach out and grab you” song first, usually something a bit different as the third or fourth […]
By Ken Lackner Full gallery after the jump.
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